There is very positive news about #3, the young hawk who sustained a leg fracture on her first flight out of the nest back in June, probably from landing awkwardly on a concrete sidewalk. She had her cast removed a couple of weeks ago and after spending several more days in the small recovery cage, was placed into a much larger outdoor flying cage.
Steve Aldrich
Steve Aldrich
The cage is about 30 feet long, and contains both fixed and swinging perches. She is now flying back and forth between the stationary and swinging perches.
Steve Aldrich
Michele Wellard, assistant rehabilitator at the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, reports that #3 is flying strongly, and landing confidently on the various perches. This indicates that her fractured leg has healed really well.
Steve Aldrich
Steve Aldrich
She is pouncing on and catching the food put into her cage, and is starting to develop the hunting skills which she will need when she is eventually released.
Steve Aldrich
#3 has been at the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic for about seven weeks now. Rick Schubert and his staff, along with Dr. Boutette and Dr. Dazen at the Animal and Bird Healthcare Center and Hospital in Cherry Hill, NJ, have done a superb job of rehabbing this hawk and bringing her to this point where she is ready to start longer flying and hunting sessions.
Steve Aldrich
Steve Aldrich
Even though #3 does not look at all thrilled about being in rehab, she is a very lucky hawk to have received such excellent care.
Steve Aldrich
Many thanks to Steve Aldrich, IT manager at the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. for these lovely photographs, and to Michele Wellard for keeping us up to date on #3.
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Great pictures and great news, Della! It's so reassuring to see #3 looking ready to take on the world -- MaryAnne Lyons
ReplyDeleteThanks Della - glad to hear. I cannot post on the FB page because apparently all of the posts are going to all of my friends, which might be annoying. I am getting zillions of posts from other peoples' groups and it is annoying. However, I am so grateful to you and the photographers keeping up with the hawks!
ReplyDeletegreat write-up and photos. Here's hoping she does well in the next several stages and can eventually be released into the wild.
ReplyDeleteSusan, I think there's a way you can fix your Facebook settings so that you (and your friends) don't get email updates of every single post.
ReplyDeleteI'm not enough of a FB expert to give you instructions, but check out your privacy settings.
Della
ON the top right of the FB page is your account--click on account>account settings. On the left side of that page is a link for notifications--go there to disable those annoying emails!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank so much for this wonderful news about #3!
I am so happy to read about #3's progress! And those photos are beautiful!! I would love to know how she will acquire all of the skills necessary to hunt successfully in the wild when she is still in her cage..... I'm sure the rehabbers are gifted at teaching those things but I'm still curious!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all you do!!!
Oh, THANK YOU so much for this positive update! And thank-you to all her wonderful caregivers and photographers. You are all so generous with your time and talents! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update on Squishy, so happy to see she is coming along. Do they think she's a female?
ReplyDeleteShe is MAGNIFICENT!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this encouraging update. I hope our wonderful Squishy will be able to acquire the hunting skills she will need. It is great to see her looking so good and being so feisty. She and I are so glad the cast is gone.
ReplyDeleteoh Della ty for keeping us informed about Squishy! She/he is beautiful! Thanks Rick and everyone for helping!
ReplyDeleteBnewcol - based on the substantial size of her tarsi (anklebones), it's pretty certain that #3 is a female. Males are smaller birds, and their tarsi are thinner.
ReplyDeleteI also should clarify that her new outdoor flight cage is 30 feet long, not 15 feet as I originally wrote. Thanks to Michele Wellard from SWRC for this info.
Della,
ReplyDeleteHave you any insight into whether #3 eventually will be released in its home area, possibly even from the Franklin Institute nest? And if so, will the eyasses recognize it as one of their own after such a prolonged absence, or might they consider it an intruder?
I join the legion of followers grateful for your ongoing astute and delightfully clever updates and photos of what we collectively call "our hawks".
I second what Joanne said. She is a beautiful bird but I worry about her rejoining the family and catching up on her hunting and other hawk lessons at this extremely late date. Will she even be accepted by her family at this point?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the update and lovely photos! As for all the questions about her release and survival, well life is chancy for all creatures. We can only wish her luck and hope she does well in the wide world. When do you think they will let her go and how?
ReplyDeleteAnn
Why is no one willing to address the likely future of #3? No guesses if it's too late to join her family? Has she imprinted with those caring for her? Will the family still accept her at this very, very late date? Are they even still around? Will she be released at all? Is she likely to survive if she is released? Seriously -- she flies, she lands... What is the delay?
ReplyDelete#3 is receiving the best available rehab in this region. The experts in charge of her care are best qualified to address her progress, and I personally would not wish to try to make any prediction about where, when, how or what the next steps are in her journey.
ReplyDeleteEverything we have heard from the SWRC indicates that she is making steady progress in her recovery and in her catching up on the flying/hunting skills she will need to survive in the wild. I don't think it's a "delay" as much as she is not yet ready to be released.
As soon as I hear news, I will post here. We are all anxious to hear the best possible outcome.